Thursday, January 19, 2012

Boot Camp

While I was home in California, in order to get a free fitness ball, I signed up for FitStudio.com. I spent a grand total of two minutes browsing the resources on their website.

They had some fitness programs. Naturally I wanted to see how impossible the BCx Boot Camp program would be. I clicked on it and found myself totally flabbergasted by what it requires of the victim athlete.

What the?! I showed my brother Jared the demanding intensity of the workouts. He didn't really seem to get it. He's not an especially physically active boy.

Since that day several weeks ago, the program had been kind of at the back of my mind.

I worked out three or four days the week I got home from California.

I worked out five days last week.

I was doing my same old stuff and was realizing that I needed to up the ante considerably. The stuff I was doing was just not hard enough.

Then just as a spur of the moment decision, I decided I'd try to step it up on Monday. I printed the whole first week of workouts. I proceeded to do Week 1 Day 1 in my living room on the Monday holiday.

I almost passed out.

No. I'm not kidding. I was doing my wall sit after doing 20 lunges, 20 squats, 10 burpees, 20 lunges, 20 jumping jacks, and 10 more burpees. TWICE. Yeah. So in the midst of my breathless agony sitting against the wall, dripping sweat, I felt my eyes start to go gray, my head get really dizzy, and oxygen not being delivered fast enough.

I lay down for a couple of minutes to slow my heart rate down and got back up to finish the set. That particular portion was called "The Bomb" and I had to do all of that three times.

I'm happy to report that I did make it all the way through the workout--minus ONE set (because it said 3 sets and 4 sets, so I went with 3 instead of 4), and mostly struggling through the wall sit. To think I used to be able to stay in a horse stance in karate for such a long period of time. Now I can't even lean against the wall for a minute. Sad.

Here is day 1 of the workout in case you are interested. (Just cancel the print option)

Here's day 2, which I did yesterday. All I eliminated from that workout was the pull-ups, because I didn't want to run downstairs to use it, I can't do a pull-up anyway, and I don't know how to use the assisted pull-up machine. But I did all the rest.

And day 3, which I did today. I did all of it with no shortcuts. Yeah. That's 100 push-ups (girly kind, but still!), 100 sit-ups, 100 burpees, and well over 100 jumping jacks. Don't worry about that. I also ran a 12 minute mile, just for the record.

I will do day 4 tomorrow. But honestly, looking at it, I don't know if I'll be able to make it. I can push myself to some serious extremes, people. Just those Mary Catherines look like death, but with X Squats afterward, and then criss cross squats following? Really? I'm fairly sure that is impossible unless you're an Olympic speed skater. What the heck?

I have avoided the commitment of "joining" the program on FitStudio, not knowing if I would be able to do any of it. I don't like starting something and not finishing. I don't like failing. I have a real problem with it. So sometimes I just avoid trying, just so I won't fail. I'm thinking though, that I will do all four weeks of this.

I am not sure how I will do it. The 7th day, you are supposed to rest. But I can't work out on Tuesdays because I'm gone from my apartment from 7 AM to around 10 PM due to work, class, and social interactions afterward, plus the 40 minute drive home. I skipped Tuesday this week. Does this mean I work out on Sunday and take Monday off? Uh. I don't think that will work out very well for me.

I'll figure something out, though, I guess. I am honestly feeling like my body is amazing after I do these workouts. The things I can push it to do are incredible.

So anyway, that's what I've been up to. Work, gym, and homework until sleepy time.

Oh, also, I got stuck with doing two class presentations next week--an author presentation, and a genre/trend/issue presentation--in the only week where we have two classes. I missed signups. Yikes. I read our book for Tuesday last night and did the write-up. I read half the book for next Thursday tonight. Then I get to read three articles for those classes. Then I get to read some research articles about simplifying Shakespeare with parallel texts (my choice of topic), and put together a presentation for Tuesday. Then I get to read three books by the author I chose (Sonya Sones), plus read the research about her life/influences/awards and put together a presentation for Thursday. Doesn't this week sound like so much fun? Yeah. Great. Maybe it will kill me make me glad at the end of the term when everyone else is still stuck having to do it, and I've already gotten it out of the way. Plus, he will go easier on me since I am first. Look at the bright side, right?